Low95chevy

I've asked a lot of questions on this forum before about what i should stock my 20 gallon tank with and the final decision was

1 dwarf gourami
6 neone tetras
2 german blue rams
3 otos

Now everyone said this will be fine and I've never heard of dwarf gouramis not being compatible with german rams but i just put in my german rams and my gourami started attacking one of them i took the gourami out he's in a bucket right now what should i do?

Lucy

Mine got along great in my 30g until the male and female GBR's looked like they were beginning to spawn.
They both got extremely aggressive with my DG.
The male ended up dying from what looked like injuries. The female alone is fine with my DG.

Maybe they just needed time to get used to each other.
Giving the DG a time out could help, you might want to move a few plants around to throw him off a bit.

Low95chevy

Yea thats the same thing i was thinking how long should i keep the dg out?

Lucy

I wouldn't think any longer than an hour, make sure he water doesn't get cool.

Low95chevy

i moved the decorations around a bit it doesnt look very nice but its just temporary until this problem gets fixed so what if i put him back in and he still starts attack the GB? should i just leave him there? i wont be able to take him back to the Fish store until 2morrow and thats even if i can so what should i do if he still attacks?

Lucy

If you have a spare heater, you can out him in a bucket with an airstone or something large enough to float in the tank.
We'll think positive, he'll get along fine with the other fish.

Low95chevy

as soon as i put him back in he started again hes still chasing after them right now and nipping at them and na i dont got an extra airstone or heater just my 20 gallon and the bucket i had him in

Lucy

Geez, I'm sorry. Try turning out the lights for a while, sometimes that helps them settle.

Low95chevy

i turned off the lights and he stopped attacking them i dont know if he might start again when i turn it back on though

Lucy

It's hard to say. At least he's calmed down a bit for now. Keep your eye on him.
Now would be a good time to think about getting a q tank in case someone needs to be separated.

Low95chevy

yea as soon as the dwarf gourami gets a peak of light he goes after them my room will have to be dark 24/7 so they wont fight and on top of that i think the guy gave me 2 male Gbr's do they start fighting as soon as you put two males together? and you will automatically know that its two males or would they get alot more aggressive towards each other when they get older and bigger? i cant really tell if one of them has a pink belly i see some pink but not a lot so i cant really tell

Lucy

I don't have that much experience with GBR's. I had just gotten them on Mother's Day, so I can't say.
The pink on the female can be very light until she's ready to spawn.

I wonder if tank size has something to do with the problem you're experiencing? I've also read about how other members DG's were very aggressive.

Blub

I think it might be something to do with tank size - there might not be enough space for the GBR territory and the DG territoy in that tank.

Low95chevy

The DG is going back today I have 1 bristle nose 2 RGB's and 6 Neon Tetras what else can i put in there that will be a nice addition to the tank and keep it active

Lucy

Guppies?

Low95chevy

i was thinking the same thing lol...How many should i put in there?

Lucy

I'd go with 5.

Edit: Ooops, for some reason, I thought this was a 30g. In a 20, maybe go with 3.

Blub

3 is a good number. Make sure they are all male though so they don't overstock you by breeding.

Low95chevy

will blue gourami's and baloon mollys get along with GBR's?

Blub

It'd be a risk combining Gouramis with those GBR's again IMO - but the mollies should be fine with rams.